The functioning of the college English department during a period of rapid societal change is important. English programs can and have been interrupted by student activists. Such crises in formal education are small in comparison with the overriding issues of whether or not man can survive as a species past the turn of the next century and of what the quality of his existence will be if he does manage to perpetuate himself. At the current growth rate, the earth's population will double in 37 years. Coupled to this problem is that of caring for the young. Despite the recent creation of a "Green Revolution," by which production of wheat, rice, and maize has increased phenomenally in India, economic problems persist. The consequences of urbanization are manifold. Aggravating the financial crises of the major cities is the increase of violence it fosters and an intensified pollution of the environment. If technological man is to survive, he cannot for much longer destroy links in the chain of life upon which he, too, is ultimately dependent. Even if pollutants do not kill man, weaponry may. Currently, two and a half times as much is being spent on military equipment and personnel as is collected in taxes by all units of local government. Behavior must change and priorities be renewed. In the process of reconstructing national goals and of creating a moral society, English departments and their chairmen can play a crucial role. (CK)